Sheet-metal door and the like.



A. 'L. KIRBY.

SHEET METAL DOOR AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 21, 1912.

Patented Apr. 20, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

"IVER/TOR:

r 41%: ATTORNEY,

iiik QVIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII WIT 8855' A. L. KIRBY.

SHEET METAL DOOR AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.21, l9l2.

1,136,238 Patented Apr. 20, 1915.

2 SHBETSSHEET 2.

' ATTORNEY.

construction; to

and rigidity in such UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED L. KIRBY, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

SHEET-METAL noon AND THE LIKE.

construction of parts which can be readily formed and conveniently and quickly assembled; to reduce the cost of manufacture without sacrificing the fireproof qualities of the door, and to obtain other advantages and results as may be brought out in the following description.

Referring to the accompanying drawings. in which like numerals of reference indicate the same parts throughout the several fi res, Figure 1 shows in elevation a door 0 my improved construction; Fi 2 is a.

vertical crosssection of the top rail of the door and adjacent portion of the panel on line AA, Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a'horizontal cross-section of one of the side stiles of the door at its intersection with the bottom rail, taken on line BB similar cross section of one of the side stiles opposite a panel and showin the adjacent portion of such panel, as on line CC, Fig. 1

1; Fig. 5 shows in perspective a corner ofa door, broken away through the side stile, panel and bottom rail; Fig. 6 is a cross sec-' tion of the molding; Fig. 7 is a perspective View of the end portion of one of the side pieces of the bottom rail, from the inside; Fig. 8 shows in perspective a certain spacing strip or stifi'eni'ng bar; Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a portion of the top edge of the door, showing a certain locking strip or cap, and Fig.'10 is a sectional perspective view of the bottom part of the door, showing the locking strip or cap thereat.

In said drawings, and particularly Fig. 1, the door is shown comprising two vertical stiles 1, 1 extending the-height of the door and spaced apart in parallel relation to form the longitudinal vertical edges of the door. At the top and bottom of the door, said stiles 1, 1 are joined by the top rail 2 and the bottom rail 3, respectively, and intermediate of said top and bottom rails are other rails 4 and'5 in spaced and parallel Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 21, 1912. v Serial No. 685,218.

of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a Patented Apr. 20, 1915.

relation to the top and bottom rails and likewise )OlIlGCl to the stiles 1,1. Alternating with the said rails 2, 3, 4 and 5 are panels 6, 7 and 8, and it will be understood that all said parts, panels. rails and stiles are formed of sheet-metal as will be hereiiiafter more fully described. Furthermore, around the edges of each panel, next to the thicker parts of the door, viz., the stiles and cross rails, are moldings, which are also formed of sheet-metal and serve to connect the panels to the stiles and rails.

As the stiles are of the same construction, though reversed in position, a detailed description of one will suflice for both, and each comprises a piece of sheetmetal bent into channel form with the two sides 9, 9 adapted to lie at the opposite sides of the door and the portion 10' between said sides adapted to form the edge of the door (see Fig. 5). The opening of the channel is toward the panels and rails and ateach of the edges ofthe walls or sides 9, 9

g the sheet-metal is folded'inwardly with respect to the channel against the side or wall, as 'at 11, then bent away from said wall at right angles to form the shoulder or stop 12,

and then bent again inward parallel to the said. side or wall, as at 13.

The bottom rail consists of pieces of sheetmetal 14, 14 forming the opposite sides of the rail and having their upper edges -f0lded inwardly and formed similar to the edges of walls or sides 9, 9 of the stiles just described that is to sayeach with a folded inward portion 15, shoulder or stop'fportion 16 and inner portion 17 parallel to the bpdy portion. Engaging these edges of the two pieces of sheet-metal forming the bottom rail is a molding 18, said molding having a channel portion 19 on o posite sides of which the sheet-metal is ent backwardly and away from the sides of said channel, as

at 20, (see Fig.6), and formed at its edges to interlock with the said edges of the bottom rail sides 14, 14. To this end, each edge of the molding is bent inward, as at 21, to seat upon the shoulder 15 of the bottoni rail, and then bent again door as at .22 to lie against the portion 17 of-the bottom rail, and returned parallel to itself, as at 23, to inclose saidportion 17'. It will beunderstood that said molding 18is slid longitudinally into engagement with the 11.0

ide pieces 14, 14 of the bottom rail before zhe whole is slid into assembled engagement into the plane of the with the side stiles 1, 1. Furthermore, to brace or stiffen the sides of the rail and molding at their joints or seams, a spacing .strip or stiffening bar 24 is slid inside said 5 bottom rail and molding, see Fig. 8. This ends 28,28 to hook over the stops or shoulders22 of the molding. .This strip 24 is also slid into place before the bottom rail is entered between. thestiles of the door, it being understood that the flanges or members hereinafterdescribed for joining the endsof the bottom railto the stiles are shortened i suflicientlyI-to allow said strip 24 to enter,

at least at one end of the rail. Preferably, 25 cars 59' are bent up out otthe doubled edges I .of the spacingstrip to engage theouter sides of-the joints orsean s between the molding andbottom rail, as shown, and-thus prevent them from spreading,v also. The said parts 3 .are therefore positively and accurately positionedand spaced, along the said seams which join themtogether. i p 7 3 Each end of; the botto has the ends of its sides 14, 14 bent and'shape'd similar to the edges of the-strip 18 of molding: al-

# ready deseribemso as to locka'i ith the edges of. the stile 1 which have' beeIra-lready dej scribed? 'ifo" this.end'eachIside'picce 14 is 'bent'inw'ardly,.asat 29, see Figs. 3 and 7', and then at right angles-to lie against the portion 11. of the stile, then inwardagain, as at 30, to abut against the shoulder or stop l2, and then at right angles again, as at '31, to lie against the parallel portion lihand then returned parailel to itself, as at 32, to inclose said -portion 13. With this formation it-will be lll'KlCl'Stm'Kl that the bottom rail, carrying themolding strip 18 and spacing strip 24,.can he slid into. conncc ted-rela' tion .with the side stilesfrom' their. ends.-

A. ssumingthat the bottomrail 3 has thus ;..l een; slid into connection with the stiles 1 1, .it brought. so that its lower edge is flush i with the lower ends of the stiles, and thema 5 locking strip or ,cap 33 is inserted to close I the bottom edge ot lthe door. .(See Figs. 5,

and '10); To, recoire' 'ihis locking strip 33, the-flower edges of the bottom rail 3 are each :lieiit:inwardly at right angles. as at 3-4. then irpnfard and returned outwardly parallel to said portion 34,'as at aspaceequal'to the I thickness of metal employed in the locking strip or cap-33 being left between the p r- 't1onsi'34 and 35'. The lower edges: of the ""siilesI-t), 9 of the, stiles are-also each bent sorted. rail 4 with its moldings 47, 4S and spacing inwardly, as at 36, and returned outwardly: as at 37, forming members similar to andin portion 10 of the stile being suitably notched 'or recessed to permit the insertion of said locking strip. This locking strip has a. cen-v tral longitudinal portion 38 adapted to lie flush with the bent-in portions 34 of the bottom rail and 36 of the stiles, as shown, the metal at the edges of said middle portion being bent upward and then outward parallel to said middle portion 38, as at 39, and then returned downward) inward again, as,

at 40, forming members adapted to slide into hooked engagement with the members upon the bottom rail and side stiles'of the door and form a locked seam holding the opposite side pieces 14, 14 of the bottom rail and sides 9. 9 of the stiles rigidly in fixed relation. v

When the bottom rail of the door has been thus located, the vertical moldings 41, 41 are slid into position upon theside stiles 1, 1,

and the panel 8 inserted into the channels 19 ,7 of the three moldings 18, 41, 41. Said panel may consist of two pieces 42. 42 of sheetmctal with any suitable filling 43 between, or

it'may consist of a single piece, or be otherwise composed, without-departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Above the panel 8 the lower intermediate rail 5 carrying the moldings 44 and 45 and spacing strips in the manner already describedflis slid into place between the stiles 1, 1, then the upright pieces 46, 46 of molding are slid into place on the stiics, and the panel 7 in- Similarly. the upper intermediate strips is next inserted, and above it the upright pieces oi molding 4,9. 49 and the large panel 6 put in place. Then the top rail 2 with its molding 50 and spacing strip 51. as shown in Fig. 2, is slid into place between the stiles. the locking strip being of course not yet inserted. efore said top locking strip 52 is inserted, vertical spacing strips 53 extending longitudinally of the stiles 1, 1 are slid into place from the top of the door, the inwardly projecting seam members 54, 54 at the upper ends of the sides 9, 9 of the stiles being suitably notched for the purpose, as at 55 in Fig. 9. These spacing strips comprise each a middle portion adapted to extend across the stile and abut atits edges the sides 9, 9 thereof, as shown in Figs. 3, 4, and.

10, more especially, and from each of said edges the metal is folded backwardly inward .upon itself as at 56, then away at right anglcs, as at 57 to lie against the inner side of the seam un ting the stile with the various pieces of molding and rails along its length, the metal being bent outward again at right angles, as at 58, to hook over the edge of said seam farthest from the body portion of the spacing strip. After said spacing strips have been inserted the top locking strip 52 is slid into place the same manner as the locking strip 33=at the bottom of the door, and which has been described in detail. The door is then completely assembled, and after having its various parts fastened together by spot welding or other suitable means and any crevices or openings filled in any manner common to the art, it may be finished and decorated as desired.

While I have described and shown in the drawings my invention as particularly applied to a door, I desire it to be expressly understood that the invention or features thereof can be equally well applied to other articles, as is obvious to those skilled in the art, and as indicated by the expression door or the like I intend to protect my invention as applied to all articles and used in all possible places in the art of forming sheet metal, not'only into doors, windows, partitions and other parts of buildings and fittings therefor, but also furniture as including all mov .ible articles commonly embraced in that term.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

1. In a sheet ietal door or the like, the combination of two hollow parts each having a margin meeting a margin of the other, one of said margins being folded backward on itself providing a doubled edge and then bent laterally at substantially right angles and then backward at right angles sub stantially parallel to itself, and the other margin being bent laterally in the same direction as the first-mentioned margin and then forwardly to lie against the said portion of the first-men ioned margin which is parallel to itself and then folded backward over said parallel portion, whereby said margins are united in a joint.

2. In a sheet-metal door or the like, the combination of two hollow parts each having a margin meeting a margin of the other, one of said margins having a doubled edge portion a lateral shoulder and a backwardly extending portion substantially parallel to itself and the other margin having a lateral shoulder ada ted to engage said doubled edge of the first mentioned margin :1 forwardly extending parallel portion lying against said doubled portion a second lateral shoulder engaging the lateral shoulder of the first mentioned margin, and a second forwardly extending parallel portion lying against the said portion of the first mentioned mar in which is parallel to itself and folded bacfiward over said last mentioned portion, whereby said margins are united in a seam.

3. In a sheet-metal door or the like, the combination with parts having margins meeting in interior seams substantially parallel to each other and spaced from the walls of said parts, of a spacing strip extending edgewise between the walls of one of said parts adjacent to said seam and having marginal portions returned upon itself providing a doubled edge, said returned portion being folded at a distance from the doubled edg s inwardly between said seams and the body portion of the strip and lying against the inner faein sides of said seams and hooking over the edges of the same away from the body of the spacing strip, said spacing strip having also ears bent out of its doubled edge at the opposite outer sides of said scams or joints.

ALFRED L. KIL B Y. in the presence ofl'lowano P. KiNc, Frances 15 Bwnom'r. 

